Zuttah was traded last week from the Buccaneers to the
Ravens, where he'll be reunited with Rice.

"I talked to him the other day," Zuttah said Friday night at
Brian Leonard's Rally at the Alley fundraiser. "He's doing well. He said he's
in the best shape he's been in since he's been in the league and he's ready to
get back out there."

Zuttah opened holes that helped Rice become
Rutgers' all-time leading rusher in their three seasons together. Both were 2008 NFL
Draft picks and Zuttah is looking forward to teaming up with Rice again.

"Ray is a tremendous running back," Zuttah said. "He's done
a lot in this league. He's been one of the top couple of running backs. His
numbers were down a little bit this year, but it'll be exciting to play with
somebody that brings that energy and that toughness to the position. It will be
fun to play with him and be in the locker room with him again."

Zuttah, a two-time first-team All-Big East selection, spent
his first six NFL seasons in Tampa Bay, where he started 76 games. He played every
position on the offensive line except right tackle during his time with the
Bucs, but he wants to focus on playing center. The Bucs had other
plans, so the Edison native wasn't surprised when he was traded to Baltimore
for a 2015 fifth-round draft pick.

"I kind of knew something was coming," Zuttah said. "Tampa
said they wanted me, but they wanted me to move positions. I didn't really
think that was what I wanted to do at this point in my career, so they gave me
an opportunity to see what else was out there. I have a lot of respect for them
to do it because they could have just been like, 'No, you're going to do this
and come back next year.' "

Zuttah arrived in Baltimore with two years remaining on a
four-year, $16.5 million contract. He reportedly restructured his contract, which
now runs through 2018. The Ravens clearly consider the 6-foot-4, 308-pound
Zuttah an upgrade over their existing options at center, but he'll arrive in
Baltimore with something to prove.

"I don't expect anything handed to me," Zuttah said. "My
mentality is I'm going to go out there to compete every day for the starting
job."

Having never appeared in a playoff game, Zuttah is looking
forward to joining the Ravens, who won the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

"It'll be good to be in a stable organization," Zuttah said.
"I'm going into a great organization, great fans and a great atmosphere around
there. Just to be a part of a winning program like that where you're expected
to win and compete for a championship every year is going to be good for me."